Wearable electronic device and method for manufacturing thereof

ABSTRACT

A wearable electronic device including a molded body part made of a moldable ceramic material, having an inner surface, an outer surface, and at least one cavity having a depth arranged on the inner surface of the body part, an electronic part arranged in the cavity, which electronic part has a thickness that is less than the depth of the cavity, and a coating made of an epoxy material on the inner surface of the body part, covering the electronic part and the cavity.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to a wearable electronicdevice; and more specifically, to a wearable electronic device foranalysing and processing of biological signals and a method formanufacturing such wearable electronic device.

BACKGROUND

Recent consumer's interest in personal health has led to a variety ofpersonal health monitoring devices being offered in the market. Forexample, wearable electronic devices for monitoring personal health arewell known in the art. The wearable electronic devices are measurementdevices that can be worn on finger, wrist or any other body part.Generally, such devices include electronic elements, such as flexibleprinted circuit board, processor, sensor, battery and the like, whichenable measurement and/or analysis of different physiologicalparameters, such as heart beat, corresponding to a user.

Typically, these wearable devices are designed in a way such that it iswater proof and provides a smooth skin contact to the wearer. A knownway to make these devices waterproof is to have a two part cover, forthe electronic elements, which are connected to each other for enclosingthe electronic elements therewithin. For example, the two parts can beconnected together using attachment means, such as screws or clips.Further, a sealing material, such as o-ring, is provided between the twoparts while connecting the two parts for making the connection waterproof. However, such water proof arrangement for the wearable devicesmakes their structure configuration complex due to the involvement ofvarious components such as the first cover, the second cover, the o-ringand the screws. Further, this may lead to manufacturing defects sincethe components are made with small tolerances. For example, the wearableelectronic devices may be subjected to manufacturing errors, such as toomuch tightening or loosening of one or more screws, which may lead tonon-waterproof sealant. Moreover, an inner surface (contacting theuser's skin) of such devices should be free from any cavity ordepression (for example, grooves for screws) which may get depositedwith dirt. Additionally, the inner surface should be smooth and providegood adherence with the user's skin when worn in the finger, wrist orany other body part.

Therefore, in light of the foregoing discussion, there exists a need toovercome the aforementioned drawbacks of the conventional wearableelectronic device.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure seeks to provide a wearable electronic device,particularly, for analysing and processing of biological signals.

The present disclosure also seeks to provide a method for manufacturinga wearable electronic device for analysing and processing of biologicalsignals.

In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides awearable electronic device comprising:

a molded body part made of a moldable ceramic material, having an innersurface and an outer surface, wherein at least one cavity having a depthis arranged on the inner surface of the body part,

an electronic part arranged in said cavity, which electronic part has athickness that is less than the depth of the cavity, and

a coating made of a moldable filler material on the inner surface of thebody part, covering the electronic part and the cavity.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides amethod for manufacturing a wearable electronic device. The methodcomprises the steps of:

molding a body part using a moldable ceramic material, wherein a mold issuch that at least one cavity is formed on an inner surface of the bodypart,

arranging an electronic part in said cavity, and

coating the inner surface of the body part to form the coating includingcovering the electronic part.

Embodiments of the present disclosure substantially eliminate or atleast partially address the aforementioned problems in the prior art,and provides a wearable electronic device having a simple structureconfiguration and efficient waterproofing.

Additional aspects, advantages, features and objects of the presentdisclosure would be made apparent from the drawings and the detaileddescription of the illustrative embodiments construed in conjunctionwith the appended claims that follow.

It will be appreciated that features of the present disclosure aresusceptible to being combined in various combinations without departingfrom the scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appendedclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The summary above, as well as the following detailed description ofillustrative embodiments, is better understood when read in conjunctionwith the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the presentdisclosure, exemplary constructions of the disclosure are shown in thedrawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to specificmethods and instrumentalities disclosed herein. Moreover, those in theart will understand that the drawings are not to scale. Whereverpossible, like elements have been indicated by identical numbers.

Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described, by way ofexample only, with reference to the following diagrams wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a wearable electronic device, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the wearable electronic device, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the wearable electronicdevice along an axis B-B of the FIG. 2, in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure;

FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic cross-sectional views of the wearableelectronic device of FIG. 1 along axes A-A and C-C, respectively, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is an illustration of steps of a method for manufacturing awearable electronic device, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate the steps of the method of FIG. 6, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a molded body part and an electronicpart of the wearable electronic device in an unassembled state, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the molded body part and the electronicpart in an assembled state, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the assembled molded body part and theelectronic part, and a molding stand positioned adjacent thereto, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of the molded body part, arranged with theelectronic part, mounted on the molding stand, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the wearable electronic device, inaccordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

In the accompanying drawings, an underlined number is employed torepresent an item over which the underlined number is positioned or anitem to which the underlined number is adjacent. A non-underlined numberrelates to an item identified by a line linking the non-underlinednumber to the item. When a number is non-underlined and accompanied byan associated arrow, the non-underlined number is used to identify ageneral item at which the arrow is pointing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description illustrates embodiments of thepresent disclosure and ways in which they can be implemented. Althoughsome modes of carrying out the present disclosure have been disclosed,those skilled in the art would recognize that other embodiments forcarrying out or practicing the present disclosure are also possible.

In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides awearable electronic device. The wearable electronic device comprises amolded body part made of a moldable ceramic material, having an innersurface and an outer surface, wherein at least one cavity having a depthis arranged on the inner surface of the body part, an electronic partarranged in said cavity, which electronic part has a thickness that isless than the depth of the cavity, and a coating made of an epoxymaterial on the inner surface of the body part, covering the electronicpart and the cavity.

In an embodiment, the wearable electronic device is operable to measuredifferent physiological parameters corresponding to a user, such asblood volume pulse, to determine a heart rate of the user. In anexample, the heart rate is determined by measuring PPG(photoplethysmogram) from the blood volume pulse. The PPG can bemeasured or generated using optical electronics, particularly usingprinciple of transmittance or reflectance of light. Additionally, thewearable electronic device is also operable to measure stress of theuser.

In an embodiment, the wearable electronic device is a ring that can beworn by a user in a finger. For example, the wearable electronic deviceis sized to be suitably worn on a finger, such as an index finger, ofthe user. Further, it may be available in a variety of sizes foraccommodating various finger sizes. In another embodiment, the wearableelectronic device may be a wrist band that may be worn on a wrist of theuser. In such instance, it may be evident to those skilled in the artthat a size of the wearable electronic device should be large enough tobe suitably worn at the wrist of the user.

The wearable electronic device comprises a molded body part made of amoldable ceramic material. As mentioned herein, the wearable electronicdevice is a ring, therefore the molded body part may be configured tohave a central portion and a loop integral with the central portion fora ring structure. Alternatively, the central portion and the loop can beformed separately and later joined together to form the body part.

In an embodiment, the moldable ceramic material is selected from a groupconsisting of zirconia, zirconium, aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide,Boron carbide, silicon carbide, silicon nitride, titanium diboride andyttrium oxide. Alternatively, non-ceramic material, such as plastic,metal (such as titanium, steel, platinum, gold, palladium, silver orbronze or a gold based alloys), rubber or any combination thereof may beused for forming the molded body part.

The molded body part includes the inner surface, the outer surface andat least one cavity having the depth arranged on the inner surface ofthe body part. The inner surface contacts the skin of the user, whereasthe outer surface is opposite to the inner surface and externallyvisible. The at least one cavity is made during the molding of the bodypart. Alternatively it is possible form the cavities to body part bycutting or milling. Further the outer surface can be formed or finalisedby milling or polishing up or other metallic workshop methods.

In an embodiment, the at least one cavity of the molded body partincludes two cavities, such as a first cavity and a second cavity, whichare formed on the inner surface of the molded body part. Further, thefirst cavity and the second cavity are connected with each other.Moreover, the first cavity resides in the central portion of the moldedbody part and the second cavity runs along the loop and is connected tothe first cavity. In an embodiment, a depth of the first cavity isslightly more than a depth of the second cavity. For example, if thesecond cavity has a depth of about 1 mm, then depth of the first cavitywould be slightly more than 1 mm. Also, shapes of the two cavities mayvary depending upon shapes of the central portion and the loop.

The wearable electronic device further comprises the electronic partarranged in the cavity, which electronic part has a thickness that isless than the depth of the cavity. Specifically, the cavity isdimensioned to have the depth which is sufficient to allow theelectronic part to be fully placed inside the cavity, and an unfilledspace still remains when the electronic part is fully placed inside thecavity.

In an embodiment, the electronic part comprises a battery and a supporton which other components of the electronic part are arranged. Forexample, the other components of the electronic part (arranged on thesupport) may include but not limited to an infrared transmitter, amicrocontroller, a radio frequency transceiver, a temperature sensor andan infrared receiver.

In an embodiment, the support also comprises means for charging thebattery, such as the charging pads (or charging pins). In an embodiment,there may be two or more charging pads arranged, for example on theinner surface of the support. In an embodiment, the support is aflexible printed circuit board (PCB), for example, a flexible plasticsubstrate made of polyimide, PEEK (a transparent conductive polyesterfilm), polyester or a combination thereof.

In an embodiment, the electronic part includes a first part and a secondpart. For example, the battery and a portion of the support (flexiblePCB) on which the microcontroller is arranged (or mounted) constitutethe first part of the electronic part. Further, a remaining portion ofthe support and the other components of the electronic part arranged onthe remaining portion constitute the second part of the electronic part.In an embodiment, the first part and the second part are connected toeach other using electrical wires. For example, the battery may beelectrically coupled to the support (particularly to themicrocontroller) using the electrical wires. As mentioned above, theelectronic part is arranged in the cavity. For example, the first partof the electronic part is arranged in the first cavity and the secondpart of the electronic part is arranged in the second cavity.

In an embodiment, the electronic part is attached to the cavity by anattachment means arranged at a bottom of the cavity. The attachmentmeans is selected from a group consisting of a sticker, a tape, glue,and an attachment structure made in the molded body part. In an example,a sticker (or a stick foam tape) may be arranged at a bottom of thefirst cavity and the battery may be adhered to central portion andinside the first cavity with the help of the sticker. Similarly, anothersticker (or a stick foam tape) may be arranged at a bottom of the secondcavity (or on the support, i.e. flexible PCB) such that the support maybe adhered to loop and within the second cavity with another sticker.

In one embodiment, the electronic part is aligned in proper positionwith respect to the molded body part using an assembly guiding element(the attachment structure made in the molded body part). Specifically,the second part can be aligned with respect to the second cavity byusing the assembly guiding element. In an example, the assembly guidingelement is a protruding part, such as a tab or a spike, configured onthe inner surface, preferably, on the loop. In an embodiment, there is asingle assembly guiding element configured on the inner surface of theloop. Alternatively, there can be more than one assembly guidingelements arranged on the inner surface of the loop. Typically, thesupport includes at least one hole corresponding to the assembly guidingelement for receiving the assembly guiding element therethrough andaligning the electronic part (particularly the support) with respect tothe molded body part (particularly to the second cavity).

The wearable electronic device further comprises a coating made of anmoldable filler material on the inner surface of the body part, coveringthe electronic part and the cavity. For example, the moldable fillermaterial is filled in the cavity embedded with the electronic part.Specifically, the moldable filler material is filled to cover theunfilled space that still remains, when the first cavity and the secondcavity respectively receive the first part and the second part of theelectronic part therein. Therefore, the coating made of the moldablefiller material sealingly covers for electronic part and fills theremaining space of the cavity arranged on the inner surface of themolded body part.

In an embodiment, the moldable filler material is selected from a groupconsisting of at least epoxy material, Polyethylene, Polyurethane, lowtemperature moldable material (low temperature refers to below 100degrees of Celsius in order not to cause too high temperatures for theelectronics parts), Loctite M-31CL, alpha-epoxy, EpoxAcast® 650,Bisphenol S epoxy resin, Novolac epoxy resin, Aliphatic epoxy resin andGlycidylamine epoxy resin.

In an embodiment, the moldable filler material comprises optionally anink, which ink increases value of transmitted infrared light intensitydivided by transmitted light intensity. In other words relative mount ofinfrared light which can pass thru the moldable filler material with theink compared to amount of visible light which can pass thru the moldablefiller material is higher when the ink is used in comparison to no ink.As an example, if the moldable filler material is selected as epoxymaterial, the epoxy material is a mixture of an epoxy resin and acolorant (i.e. the ink). In an example, the ink is an inkjet ink, suchas a Magic Black ink. Further, the moldable filler material comprisingthe ink is arranged to cover at least area other than the IR transmitterand the IR receiver within the cavity. The moldable filler materialcomprising the ink can cover also IR transmitter and the IR receiver.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides amethod for manufacturing the wearable electronic device. The methodcomprises steps of molding a body part using a moldable ceramicmaterial, wherein a mold is such that at least one cavity is formed onan inner surface of the body part; arranging an electronic part in saidcavity; and coating the inner surface of the body part by applying anepoxy resin on the surface and curing the resin to form an epoxycoating, including covering the electronic part.

In an embodiment, the molding of the body part is done with the use of amold. The mold essentially comprises a first part and a second partconforming to the central portion and the loop of the molded body part,such that when the moldable ceramic material is injected into the mold,the molded body part with the central portion and the loop is formed.

In an embodiment, the molded body part is formed using a ceramicinjection molding (CIM) technique. As an example of CIM techniquezirconia is injected in a mold and then further sintered in temperaturesrange of about 1300-1550 degrees Celcius.

In addition a ceramic molding technique such as slip casting, ceramicshell casting and technical ceramics can be used. Typically, the ceramicmolding technique is performed at a temperature range of about 1500-2500degree Celsius depending on the moldable ceramic material used. Forexample, if the moldable ceramic material used is zirconium, the moldingis performed at a temperature of about 1855 degree Celsius andsimilarly, if the moldable ceramic material used is aluminum nitride,the molding is performed at a temperature of about 2200 degree Celsius.

Alternatively, the molded body part (when formed using non-ceramicmaterial) can be molded using a molding technique, such as compressionmolding, extrusion molding, injection molding and rotational molding. Inanother embodiment, the body part can be made from other manufacturingtechniques, such as forming, machining, three dimensional (3D) printingand the like. Further the molded body part can be formed for example byusing ultraviolent (UV) based curing method where ceramic material suchas alumina (Al2O3) is mixed in curable solution and then illuminatedwith high intensity ultraviolent lamps (220-450 nm) for sufficienttimes.

The mold (used for molded body part) is such that at least one cavity isformed on an inner surface of the body part. Specifically, the mold usedfor forming the body part is such that at least one cavity is formed onthe inner surface of the molded body part. Specifically, the molded bodypart is such that two cavities, a first cavity and a second cavity, areformed on the inner surface of the body part. Further, the first cavityand the second cavity are in connection with each other.

The electronic part is arranged in the cavity thereafter. In anembodiment, the step of arranging the electronic part in the cavity iscarried out by arranging the battery in the first cavity, connecting thebattery to the support and arranging the support in the second cavity.Initially, the step involves arranging the first part of the electronicpart in the first cavity. In an embodiment, the electronic part(particularly, the first part) is arranged in the first cavity using theattachment means arranged on bottom of the first cavity. Specifically,the first part (i.e. battery and the portion of the support having themicrocontroller mounted thereon) is first set in the first cavity. Morespecifically, first an orientation of the support is matched with anorientation of an assembly guiding element. In an embodiment, a sticker(or a stick foam tape) is removed with its covers and initially pastedto the central portion (i.e. inside the first cavity), thereafter asurface of the battery is located against the sticker to fix the batteryinto the first cavity. For example, the battery is pressed by a fingerfor about 10 seconds to properly fix the battery to the first cavity.Thereafter, the portion of the support having comparatively a largerwidth (i.e. a width of the central portion) and the microcontrollermounted thereon is also allowed to be placed on top of the battery.

In an embodiment, the battery is connected to the support. For example,the battery is connected to the support using electrical wires.Specifically, the battery is physically and electrically coupled to thesupport (particularly to the microcontroller) using the electricalwires, for example by soldering. In an embodiment, the battery isconnected to the support with wires prior to the placement of thebattery into the first cavity. Alternatively, the battery is connectedto the support with the wires after the placement of the battery intothe first cavity.

The support is thereafter arranged in the second cavity. Specifically, aremaining portion of the support (having a width of about the loop)along with other components of the electronic part arranged or mountedthereon is arranged in the second cavity. The support is made of aflexible material (as discussed above), therefore the support is firstslightly bend downwards and rotated so that it gets accommodated easilyinside the second cavity of the molded body part. Further, in anembodiment, a sticker (or stick foam tape) is removed with its coversand pasted to a side (that will face the inner surface of the loop) ofthe support. The use of sticker for arranging the support inside thesecond cavity enables in proper adherence of the support with the loopof the molded body part.

In another embodiment, the step of arranging the electronic part (thesupport) in the cavity is further carried out using at least oneassembly guiding element, such a tab or spike. Specifically, the supportincludes at least one hole conforming to the at least one assemblyguiding element for receiving the assembly guiding element therethrough.For example, the molded body part includes one assembly guiding elementconfigured on inner surface of the one side of the loop, alternativelythe molded body part may include two or more assembly guiding elementsconfigured on inner surface of the both sides of the loop. The assemblyguiding element fits into (or receives) the hole, thereby aligning theelectronic part in proper position with respect to the cavity of themolded body part.

In an embodiment, in order to ensure a proper alignment of theelectronic part into the cavity of molded body part, a check is made toensure that the guiding element properly fits into (or receives) thehole. For example, a check is made to ensure that the whole electronicpart, i.e. the battery and the support, is fully inside the molded bodypart. Additionally, after the support accommodation into the secondcavity, another check is made to ensure that the battery cable (theelectrical wires) goes between the battery and the molded body part.

In another embodiment, the support (particularly, the infraredtransmitter and/or the infrared receiver mounted thereon) may not fullylie inside the cavity. For example, the infrared transmitter andreceiver may be arranged in such a way that the infrared transmitter andreceiver form bulges (or extension) emerging out from the support. Theinfrared transmitter and receiver accordingly can efficiently contact(or papule) the skin of the user when the user wears the wearableelectronic device. Alternatively, the infrared transmitter and/or theinfrared receiver may be fully accommodated inside the second cavity.

According to an embodiment, the proper fitting of the electronic partwithin the cavity ensures that there is unfilled space or volume for anepoxy material coating.

In an embodiment, the moldable filler material coating is made on theinner surface of the molded body part using a molding stand. The moldingstand includes a base, a channel arranged on the base, and an elongatemember extending from the base. The channel and the elongate member areconfigured to conform to a shape of the molded body part. Specifically,the channel is configured to conform to a thickness of the molded bodypart, whereas the elongate member is configured to conform to acircumference (or diameter) of the loop of the elongate member. Thisallows the elongate member to firmly fit over the molding stand. Theelongate member further includes an opening and a recess surrounding theopening. The molding stand may be made of a material selected from agroup consisting of fibers and fillers, latex, polyurethane rubber,thermosetting plastic and silicone rubber. Alternatively, the moldingstand may be made of a material which is highly heat resilient and hard.

In an embodiment, the molding stand further includes jig pads at its oneside, which helps in accurately placing the molded body part (with theelectronic part arranged therein) onto the molding stand. For example,charging pads of the support (arranged inside of the molded body part)are set against these jig pads and the molded body part is assembledslightly tilted towards the molding stand. Further, the molded body part(with the electronic part arranged therein) is placed onto the moldingstand in such a way that contact of the electronics (embedded in thesupport) with an edge of the molding stand is avoided. Furthermore, themolded body part is placed against a bottom surface of the base of themolding stand by receiving the molded body part into the channel,thereby having a centre of the molded body part aligned with a centre ofthe molding stand.

In one embodiment, the moldable filler material comprises an ink to makethe moldable filler material appear dark or black for the user. The inkis selected in such a way that it allows infrared light to pass thrurelatively better than visible light. The moldable filler material canbe arranged thus to cover at the infrared transmitter and the infraredreceiver. For example, if moldable filler material is selected to beepoxy material, the epoxy material is made by mixing the epoxy resin andthe ink. Specifically, the mixture is prepared by adding a small amountof the ink (for example, in a range of 0.05 g-0.1 g) to the epoxy resin(for example, 30-70 ml) and mixing the epoxy resin and the ink uniformlywith a stirrer.

The mixture is then heated in an oven at a temperature of about 60degree Celsius for about 20 minutes for uniformly mixing of the epoxyresin and the ink. Further, the mixture is again stirred for furthermixing and stored in a tube. The tube may be closed using a cover, whichmay be prick or pierce with a needle for allowing air to escape fromwithin the tube. More, the mixture may be further heated beforedispensing (or pouring) into the molding stand.

In an embodiment, flowable (or heated) mixture is poured into theopening of the elongate member of the molding stand (with the moldedbody part along with the electronic part mounted thereon). For example,the mixture is added into the molding stand from a dispensing container(such as the tube) through its dispensing needle. The mixture is pouredinto the opening of the elongate member until the mixture slightlyoverflows into the recess (surrounding the opening). Thereafter, thedispensing needle is removed and lifted up from the molding stand.

In one embodiment, the mixture (of the epoxy resin and the ink) is curedfor forming the coating on the inner surface of the molded body part.Optionally, the assembly of the molded body part (along with electronicpart therein) and the molding stand may be kept in a vacuum box prior tothe curing. The curing is performed for hardening the coating. Forexample, the assembly of molded body part and the molding stand is putinto the oven at about 60 degree Celsius for about 40 minutes.Alternatively, the curing is induced with ultra violet (UV) light forhardening the coating of epoxy material. Moreover, the UV curing isperformed at ambient conditions, such as room temperature.

In one embodiment the method for manufacturing a wearable electronicdevice comprises the steps of:

molding a body part using a moldable ceramic material, wherein a mold issuch that at least one cavity is formed on an inner surface of the bodypart,

arranging an electronic part in said cavity, and

coating the inner surface of the body part by applying an epoxy resin onthe surface and curing the resin to form an epoxy coating, includingcovering the electronic part.

In an embodiment, after the curing of the assembly, the assembly isremoved from the oven for allowing the assembly to cool down. Forexample, the assembly is allowed to cool down for about 5-10 minutes,and thereafter the unassembling of the molded body part from the moldingstand is performed. Thereafter, an overflow gate (formed due to fluidiccoupling between the molding stand and the cavity of the body part) iscut by sharp knife, when cured epoxy coating is slightly warm in orderto achieve smooth surface. This forms the epoxy coating on the innersurface of the molded body part for covering the electronic part,thereby forming the wearable electronic device of the presentdisclosure.

In one embodiment, the wearable electronic device finally passes througha finishing process. In an example, the finishing process includesvisually checking an outlook of molding quality and check whether thecharging pads are clean. Finally, the wearable electronic device issubjected to a polishing machine for mainly polishing the outer surfaceof the molded body part.

The present disclosure provides a wearable electronic device and amethod for manufacturing thereof. The present disclosure provides asimple and efficient waterproof construction for a wearable electronicdevice, such as a ring and a band. Specifically, the wearable electronicdevice of the present disclosure precludes a need for two-part covers,o-ring and screws for attaining waterproof construction. Further, thewearable electronic device has a smooth inner surface, i.e. free fromany depression or elevation, which avoids deposit of dirt on the innersurface. Moreover, the inner surface is provided with the coating ofepoxy material, which provides good adherence with user's skin when wornon a finger.

Additionally, the coating of epoxy material makes the wearableelectronic device hypoallergic, which does not cause skin irritationsand allergies when comes in contact with the user's skin.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Referring to FIG. 1, illustrated is a schematic side view of a wearableelectronic device 100, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. The wearable electronic device 100 includes a molded bodypart 102 made of a moldable ceramic material. As shown, the molded bodypart 102 is configured to have a shape of ring that can be suitably wornon a finger of a user. The molded body part 102 includes an innersurface 110 and an outer surface 112 opposite to the inner surface 110.The molded body part 102 also includes at least one cavity (shown andexplained in conjunction with subsequent figures) having a depth andarranged on the inner surface 110 of the moldable body part 102.Further, as shown, the molded body part 102 includes a central portion120 and a loop 122 integral with the central portion 120.

Referring now to FIG. 2, illustrated is a schematic top view of thewearable electronic device 100, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates the molded bodypart 102, i.e. the central portion 120 and the loop 122 extending fromthe central portion 120.

Referring now to FIG. 3, illustrated is a schematic cross-sectional viewof the wearable electronic device 100, in accordance with an embodimentof the present disclosure. Specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates thecross-sectional view of the wearable electronic device 100 along theaxis B-B of the FIG. 2. As shown, the molded body part 102 includes atleast one cavity, particularly, the cavity arranged on the inner surface110 and running along the central portion 120 and the loop 122.Specifically, the least one cavity includes a first cavity 302 and asecond cavity 304 connected to the first cavity 302. The first cavity302 is configured on the central portion 120 and the second cavity 304is configured on the loop 122. Further, a depth of the first cavity 302is configured to be more than a depth of the second cavity 304.

The wearable electronic device 100 further includes an electronic part310 arranged in the cavity, i.e. in the first cavity 302 and the secondcavity 304. Specifically, the electronic part 310 includes a first part312 and a second part 314. The first part 312 is configured to bereceived in the first cavity 302 and the second part 314 is configuredto be received in the second cavity 304. For example, the first part 312includes electronic elements such as, a battery and a microcontroller,revived in the first cavity 302. The second part 314 includes a support(a flexible printed circuit board) designed to be received, primarily inthe second cavity 304 and marginally in the first cavity 302. Further,the second part 314 includes a plurality of electronic components, whichincludes but not be limited to an infrared (IR) transmitter, an IRreceiver, a microcontroller, a RF (radio frequency) transceiver and atemperature sensor, arranged thereon. The first part 312 and the secondpart 314 are coupled to each other (for example with electrical wires,not shown). Moreover, the electronic part 310, i.e. the first part 312and the second part 314, has a thickness that is less than the depth ofthe first cavity 302 and the second cavity 304. Specifically, when thefirst part 312 and the second part 314 are received in the first cavity302 and the second cavity 304, respectively, still an unfilled spaceremains in the first cavity 302 and the second cavity 304.

The wearable electronic device 100 includes a coating 330 made of amoldable filler material such as an epoxy material. The coating 330 isarranged on the inner surface 110 of the molded body part 102 forcovering the electronic part 310 and the cavity, i.e. the first cavity302 and the second cavity 304. Specifically, the coating 330 covers theunfilled space that remains in the first cavity 302 and the secondcavity 304 after receiving the first part 312 and the second part 314,respectively, therein. Therefore, the coating 330 acts a cover for theelectronic part 310 and forms a surface that contacts a skin of the userwhen the wearable electronic device 100 is worn on the finger.

FIG. 3 also illustrates an assembly guiding element 340 arranged on theinner surface 110 of the loop 122. The assembly guiding element 340aligns the electronic part 310 in proper position with respect to themolded body part 102. Specifically, the assembly guiding element 340 isa protruded structure adapted to be received by a hole or cavity (notshown) configured on the second part 314 (particularly on the supporti.e. flexible printed circuit board) for properly aligning theelectronic part 310 with respect to the molded body part 102.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5, illustrated are cross-sectional views ofthe wearable electronic device 100 (of FIG. 1) along axes A-A and C-C,respectively, in accordance with an embodiment of the presentdisclosure. Specifically, the FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate cross-sectionalviews of the loop 122 of the molded body part 102 along the axes A-A andC-C, respectively. The molded body part 102 includes the outer surface112, the inner surface 110 and the cavity, particularly, the secondcavity 304 for receiving the electronic part, particularly, the secondpart 314, therein. As shown, the second part 314 sits on the secondcavity 304 touching the inner surface 110. Further, the coating 330 isprovided on the inner surface 110 of the molded body part 102 forcovering the electronic part, particularly, the second part 314.

Further, FIG. 5 illustrates the assembly guiding element 340 aligningthe electronic part 310 (shown in FIG. 3) in the cavity of the moldedbody part 102. Specifically, the second part 314 (particularly theflexible printed circuit board of the electronic part 310) includes ahole (not shown) for receiving the assembly guiding element 340therethrough for aligning the second part 314 (i.e. electronic part 310)in proper position with respect to the second cavity 304 of the moldedbody part 102. Further, the second part 314 sits on the second cavity304 touching the inner surface 110 of the molded body part 102.

Referring now to FIG. 6, illustrated are steps of a method 600 formanufacturing a wearable electronic device, in accordance with anembodiment of the present disclosure. Specifically, the method 600illustrates the steps of manufacturing the wearable electronic device100, explained in conjunction with the FIGS. 1-5.

At step 602, a molded body part is molded using a moldable ceramicmaterial and a mold is such that at least one cavity is formed on aninner surface of the molded body part.

At step 604, an electronic part is arranged in the cavity.

At step 606, the inner surface of the molded body part is applied with acoating of an epoxy resin and epoxy resin is cured to form an epoxycoating for covering the electronic part.

The steps 602 to 606 are only illustrative and other alternatives canalso be provided where one or more steps are added, one or more stepsare removed, or one or more steps are provided in a different sequencewithout departing from the scope of the claims herein. For example, themethod 600 further includes attachment of the electronic part to thecavity using attachment means arranged on a bottom of the cavity.Further, the method 600 includes arranging the electronic part in thecavity using an assembly guiding element. Moreover, in the method 600the mold (for the molded body part) is such that two cavities, a firstcavity and a second cavity, are formed on the inner surface of themolded body part. Additionally, the first cavity and the second cavityare in connection with each other. Further, in the method 600, arrangingthe electronic part (which includes a battery and a support on whichother components of the electronic part are arranged) in the cavity iscarried out by arranging the battery in the first cavity, connecting thebattery to the support and arranging the support in the second cavity.Moreover, in the method 600, the curing is induced with UV light.Additionally, in the method 600, the coating of the inner surface of themolded body part is carried out using a molding stand.

The method 600 of the present disclosure is further explained inconjunction with subsequent figures, i.e. FIGS. 7-12. Specifically, theFIGS. 7A-7C illustrate the steps 602-606, respectively, of the method600 for manufacturing the wearable electronic device 100 (shown in FIG.1). More specifically, FIGS. 7A-7C illustrate cross-sectional views ofthe loop 122 of the molded body part 102. Therefore, as mentioned above,FIG. 7A illustrates the molded body part 102 having at least one cavity,particularly the second cavity 304, formed on the inner surface 110 ofthe loop 122. Further, FIG. 7B illustrates the electronic part 310(shown in FIG. 3), particularly the second part 314 (the flexibleprinted circuit board) arranged in the cavity, such as the second cavity304. Moreover, FIG. 7C illustrates the inner surface 110 of the moldedbody part 102 applied with a layer of an epoxy resin being cured to formthe coating 330 for covering the electronic part, such as the secondpart 314 thereof. It is to be understood that if FIGS. 7A-7C would haveillustrated cross-sectional views of the central portion 120 (shown inFIG. 3) of the molded body part 102, in such instance FIGS. 7A-7C wouldhave been explained in conjunction with the first part 312 (shown inFIG. 3) of the electronic part 310 and the first cavity 302.

Referring now to FIG. 8, illustrated is a perspective view of the moldedbody part 102 and the electronic part 310 of the wearable electronicdevice 100 (as shown in FIG. 1) in an unassembled state, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present disclosure. As mentioned above, themolded body part 102 is made of a moldable ceramic material using a mold(not shown) such that two cavities, the first cavity 302 and the secondcavity 304, are formed on the inner surface 110 of the molded body part102. Further, the first cavity 302 and the second cavity 304 are inconnection with each other. Moreover, as mentioned above, the attachmentof the electronic part 310 to the cavity (i.e. the first cavity 302 andthe second cavity 304) uses attachment means arranged on a bottom of thecavity. As shown, a stick foam tape 802 (i.e. attachment means) isarranged on the first cavity 302. Similarly, another stick foam tape(not shown) may be arranged on the second cavity 304 (or on theelectronic part 310).

As shown in FIG. 8, the electronic part 310 includes the first part 312(such as a battery and a portion of the support mounted with amicrocontroller and the second part 314 (such as the support i.e.flexible PCB) connected to the first part 312. For example, the firstpart 312 is connected to the second part 314, i.e. the battery isconnected to the support using a wire 804. The first part 312 alsoincludes charging pads 806 for charging the battery. Further, on thesecond part 314, i.e. the support, other components 810 of theelectronic part 310 are arranged. For example, the other components 810include but are not limited to IR transmitter, the IR receiver, themicrocontroller, the RF transceiver and the temperature sensor. Thesecond part 314 also includes a hole 812 for aligning the second part314 with the molded body part 102.

Referring now to FIG. 9, associated with the step of arranging theelectronic part 310 in the cavity, i.e. by arranging the battery and theportion of the support mounted with the microcontroller in the firstcavity 302 (shown in FIG. 8) and arranging the support (with otherelectronic elements arranged thereon) in the second cavity 304 (shown inFIG. 8). Specifically, FIG. 9 illustrates a perspective view of themolded body part 102 and the electronic part 310 in an assembled state.The first part 312 (as shown in FIG. 8) and the second part 314 are ofthe electronic part 310 received in the first and second cavities,302,304 (shown in FIG. 8) respectively, and thereafter the first part312 and the second part 314 are pressed to couple with the molded bodypart 102 with the help of the attachment means, such as the stick foamtape 802 (shown in FIG. 8). As mentioned above, the step of arrangingthe electronic part 310 in the cavity is carried out using the assemblyguiding element 340. Specifically, the hole 812 arranged in the secondpart 314 of the electronic part 310 receives the assembly guidingelement 340 therethrough for aligning the electronic part 310 in properposition with respect to the molded body part 102.

Referring now to FIG. 10, associated with the step of coating the innersurface 110 of the body part 102 that is carried out using a moldingstand 1000. Specifically, FIG. 10 illustrates a perspective view of theassembled molded body part 102 and the electronic part 310, and themolding stand 1000 positioned adjacent thereto. The molding stand 1000includes a base 1002, a channel 1004 configured on the base 1002 and anelongate member 1006 extending from the base 1002. The channel 1004 andthe elongate member 1006 are configured to conform to a shape of themolded body part 102. Specifically, the channel 1004 is configured toconform to a thickness of the molded body part 102, whereas the elongatemember 1006 is configured to conform to a circumference (or diameter) ofthe loop 122 of the molded body part 102. This allows the molded bodypart 102 to firmly fit over the elongate member 1006 of the moldingstand 1000. The elongate member 1006 further includes an opening 1010and a recess 1012 surrounding the opening 1010.

Referring now to FIG. 11, illustrated is a perspective view of themolded body part 102 (arranged with the electronic part therein) mountedon the molding stand 1000, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent disclosure. Specifically, the channel 1004 and the elongatemember 1006 receive the molded body part 102. In such instance, moltenepoxy is poured through the opening 1010 for being received by thecavity (particularly the unfilled space remains in the first cavity 302and the second cavity 304 after receiving the electronic part 310therein, as shown in FIG. 9). This allows the formation of an epoxycoating on the inner surface 110 of the molded body part 102 forcovering the electronic part and the cavity, as shown in FIG. 12.Specifically, the FIG. 12 illustrates a perspective view of the wearableelectronic device 100 having the molded body part 102, the electronicpart 310 (shown in FIG. 9) arranged in the molded body part 102 and thecoating 330 covering the electronic part 310.

Modifications to embodiments of the present disclosure described in theforegoing are possible without departing from the scope of the presentdisclosure as defined by the accompanying claims. Expressions such as“including”, “comprising”, “incorporating”, “have”, “is” used todescribe and claim the present disclosure are intended to be construedin a non-exclusive manner, namely allowing for items, components orelements not explicitly described also to be present. Reference to thesingular is also to be construed to relate to the plural.

1. A wearable electronic device comprising: a molded body part made of amoldable ceramic material, having an inner surface and an outer surface,wherein at least one cavity having a depth is arranged on the innersurface of the body part, an electronic part arranged in said cavity,which electronic part has a thickness that is less than the depth of thecavity, and a coating made of a moldable filler material on the innersurface of the body part, covering the electronic part and the cavity.2. A wearable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein themoldable ceramic material is selected from a group consisting ofzirconium, aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, boron carbide, siliconcarbide, silicon nitride, titanium diboride and yttrium oxide.
 3. Awearable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the electronicpart is attached to the cavity by an attachment means arranged at abottom of the cavity.
 4. A wearable electronic device according to claim3, wherein the attachment means is selected from a group consisting of asticker, a tape, glue and an attachment structure made in a molded bodypart.
 5. A wearable electronic device according to claim 1, wherein themoldable filler material is selected from a group consisting of at leastepoxy material, Polyethylene, Polyurethane, low temperature moldablematerial, Loctite M-31CL, alpha-epoxy, 1,2-epoxy, EpoxAcast® 650,Bisphenol S epoxy resin, Novolac epoxy resin, Aliphatic epoxy resin andGlycidylamine epoxy resin.
 6. A wearable electronic device according toclaim 1, wherein the electronic part comprises a battery, an infraredtransmitter, a microcontroller, a radio frequency transceiver, atemperature sensor and an infrared receiver.
 7. A wearable electronicdevice according to claim 1, wherein the moldable filler materialcomprises an ink, which ink increases value of transmitted infraredlight intensity divided by transmitted visible light intensity.
 8. Awearable electronic device according to claim 6, wherein the moldablefiller material comprising ink is arranged to cover at least area otherthan the infrared transmitter and the infrared receiver within thecavity.
 9. A method for manufacturing a wearable electronic device,comprising the steps of: molding a body part using a moldable ceramicmaterial, wherein a mold is such that at least one cavity is formed onan inner surface of the body part, arranging an electronic part in saidcavity, and coating the inner surface of the body part to form thecoating, including covering the electronic part.
 10. A method accordingto claim 9, wherein the electronic part is attached to the cavity usingan attachment means arranged on a bottom of the cavity.
 11. A methodaccording to claim 9, wherein the step of arranging the electronic partin the cavity is carried out using an assembly guiding element.
 12. Amethod according to 9, wherein the mold is such that two cavities, afirst cavity and a second cavity, are formed on the inner surface of thebody part.
 13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the first cavityand the second cavity are in connection with each other.
 14. A methodaccording to claim 12, wherein the electronic part comprises a batteryand a support on which other components of the electronic part arearranged, and the step of arranging the electronic part in the cavity iscarried out by arranging the battery in the first cavity, connecting thebattery to the support and arranging the support in the second cavity.15. A method according to claim 9, wherein the coating the inner surfaceof the body part is done by applying an epoxy resin on the surface andcuring the resin to form an epoxy coating.
 16. A method according to anyof the claim 15, wherein the curing is induced with UV light.
 17. Amethod according to claim 9, wherein the step of coating the innersurface of the body part is carried out using a molding stand.